Right now, our Pacific great blue herons are on their winter foraging grounds outside of the Park. They can be found fishing in shallow eel-grass beds and hunting in open fields. At this time every year we eagerly await the first signs of herons returning to their nesting colony. The birds have been nesting at their current location in Stanley Park, across from the tennis courts and Vancouver Park Board offices, since 2001.
Stanley Park Ecology Society conservation efforts help protect, enhance, restore, and monitor valuable habitat within Stanley Park. Pacific great blue herons are considered a Species at Risk because of their declining population, in part due to habitat loss and human disturbances. Stanley Park is home to one of the largest urban colonies of these statuesque birds. This past summer saw 84 active nests with 72 fledglings. Increased eagle predation on the chicks this past year lowered the colony’s nesting success rate compared to previous years. Click here for a full report of the 2017 nesting season.
You can help support this population by symbolically Adopting-a-Heron-Nest. Your generous contributions enable us to monitor these magnificent birds and help protect their habitat in the Park. Thank you!